Brands & Categories

Hammer Time October 2018

The daylight outside of our whisky dens may be diminishing, but our auctions are getting longer, fuller and with better prices across the board for our sellers and some smashing bottles for our buyers. Whether for drinking or saving, there were some great lots finding new homes in Global Whisky Auctions’ October Auction.

Macallan continues to achieve high prices across the board, with the Macallan Private Eye Miniature 5cl achieving an impressive hammer price of £410 and the 15 Year Old Gran Reserva making £1,100. We’re hardly going out on a limb when we say we expect these prices to continue to rise, and our November auction is sure to contain several new releases from Scotland’s most investable distillery.

Compass Box once again garnered lots of interest for some unusual bottles presented in the October auction; the rare Spice Tree Whisky Live Paris 2009 achieved £450 for its seller, while the unorthodox Orangerie Spirit 35cl impressed with a hammer price of £210.

There were strong showings for a plethora of Bourbons in the October auction. Probably the most intriguing bottle of the auction, a pre-prohibition 1917 Kentucky Tavern Bourbon Whiskey by Barton distillers, managed a final sale of £620 – but will be finally be opened from its slumber? The ever-collectable (and ever drinkable) Blanton’s proved popular, with the Silver Edition achieving £450 and Single Barrel 2010 La Maison du Whisky finishing on £435.

As always, independent bottlers were well represented with some fantastic high-end bottlings achieving big sales while a plethora of fantastic Mortlachs and Mannochmores will help make the fire-side winter nights go that bit quicker. A smouldering Lagavulin 1984 21 Year Old Murray McDavid Mission engulfed other Islay indies to achieve £585, while her deceased sister Islay distillery Port Ellen achieved a respectable £800 with a 29 Year Old Duncan Taylor edition. Another bottling from a technically deceased distillery, a 1965 40 Year Old from the old Glenglassaugh stormed to a hammer price of £650.